How To Tie Down Your Motorcycle In The Back Of A Pickup Or Trailer

Today we’re going to go over the different techniques for tying down motorcycles when transporting them on a trailer or in the back of a pickup. We’ve seen people tie their motorbikes down is the stupidest ways imaginable – trust us, we’ve seen it all. We wanted to take some time to share the proper ways to tie a bike down. We’re going to stress that the right method depends on the type of bike you have and the type of straps you use.

Two Good Reasons To Ditch The Ratchet Strap

We advise against using a ratchet strap to tie down your bike for two very important reasons. Firstly, it is very hard to release it gradually and get a slow release of pressure. Secondly, you need two hands to release it making it less than ideal if you want to tie down your bike yourself. For instance, if you are tying down by yourself, you will need one hand free to steady the bike. If both your hands are busy working the strap, the bike may fall as soon as you release the tension.

Use A Cam Lock Strap

These types of straps are easily adjustable with one hand and the pressure can be gently released without having to worry about the bike falling over. You can also purchase cam lock straps with an extra piece of material that simply loops over to provide a soft strap. This lets you tie down your bike without having to worry about the actual metal of the strap pushing into the soft part of your bike or scratching the metal.

Drive The Bike If Loading Solo

Ideally you’ll have a buddy to help you load your bike onto a trailer or the back of your truck but this isn’t always possible. Solo loading frequently goes wrong as bikes can topple over while being pushed up the ramp. If loading a bike on your own, start the engine and actually drive the bike up with careful clutch control. Use the friction to help you from having the bike topple on top of you. Always load the bike straight and not at an angle.

Avoid Strapping The Handle Bars Directly

A mistake we see quite often is people attaching the strap hooks directly to the handle bars. Bars are actually quite brittle and will easily be exposed to more stress than they can handle if strapped in this way. You have two options. You can either buy a handlebar tie down harness such as a Canyon Dancer, or you can soft-strap each bar with a loop strap. The harness is preferable as soft bar grips will not be damaged during transportation the way they can be with just straps.

Keep The Kick Stand Up

The kick stand should never be left down during transportation. It really doesn’t take too much force for a stand to be damaged and for you to be landed with a costly repair bill. If you are interesting in loading almost any type of bike onto a pickup truck on motorcycle trailer, always think through your decisions to ensure that your bike will not be damaged.